Is anybody else a little bummed to see Ministry playing the House of Blues circuit, much less in the band's own hometown? Granted, the current Ministry is a far cry from the heroin-snorting band of debaucherous zombies they were back when they were giving us nitro-burning rockers like "Jesus Built My Hotrod".

SAM LLANAS @ Schubas January 24, 2015
Tix on sale FRI 11/7 NOON

Having been underwhelmed by the current FauxDeans lineup that has come through town a number of times since Llanas and Kurt Neumann parted ways, it'll be great to hear Llanas' reedy vocals in the mix again. After all, no matter how many songs Neumann sang, Sammy was always the true voice of the BoDeans.

OK GO @ Metro April 3, 2015
Tix on sale FRI 11/7 NOON

Coming off the viral success of their latest scooter commercial, OK GO return home to play the esteemed Metro. After seeing all the banbd's amazing videos, how can it not be a huge letdown to see the band just stand there and play their music? I mean, no matter how much they jump around, it just won't compare to, you know, choreographed treadmill video hijinx.

CHRIS ISAAK @ House Of Blues December 14
Tix on sale 11/17 10AM

Sure, it's been two decades since Isaak was a chart presence, and it would seem nobody but me remembers his sorely underrated Showtime TV series, but this handsome devil and his longtime band still put on one of the better old-school rock shows. Plus, is there a better concert to take your date to when you're trying to close the deal? All these years later, "Wicked Game" still has the power to coax the panties off of a nun at forty paces.

WILLIE NILE @ SPACE February 13, 2015
Tix on sale 11/18 11AM

Anyone who heard last year's super-stellar American Ride is already planning on grabbing tickets to this one. This time around, Nile will be performing tunes from his upcoming new album If I Was A River, out November 11. Considering that a legend like Bruce Springsteen is completely in awe of this guy, maybe you should be too.

ALL THEM WITCHES @ Empty Bottle February 12, 2015
Tix on sale NOW (http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5452215&pl=eb&REFID=bottle)

They may come from Nashville, but they sound like they just spent 40 days and nights in the desert with nothing but a bag of mescaline buttons and their instruments. Their songs are the loudest, most joyous soul-searching hymns you'll ever hear and the fact that you're still able to hear a band this great in a venue the size of the Empty Bottle is reason enough to check out this show.